


Warlock Training

by Xanthippe



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen, Horde, PvP on a PvP server, Warlocks, Warsong Gulch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xanthippe/pseuds/Xanthippe
Summary: A novice orc warlock and her trainer travel to Ashenvale so she can battle at Warsong Gulch.





	Warlock Training

They had been traveling for days, their companionable silence only broken by the frequent complaints of her damnable imp, Pipgup. In comparison, Tia’kra’s felhunter trotted alongside its mistress’s dreadsteed with silent obedience. 

Although her stubborn pride had kept her from admitting it, Ashenvale had been the farthest that Caedence had ever been from home. Her furtive glances at Tia’kra’s map early in their journey did her little good as scribbled text held no meaning to her. It was not until Tia’kra, perhaps for her benefit, dragged a finger from their starting point to where they were now, that Caedence realized how big Kalimdor actually was. According to the map, their six days of travel seemed hardly significant.

“The best way to hone our art is through direct conflict,” Tia’kra explained at the start of the journey. “Slaughtering quilboars and dueling the locals will do little to advance your abilities. Only the risk of death at the hands of a worthy adversary will allow you to master the fel arts. I will take you to Warsong Gulch, there you will fight under the banner of the Horde.”

Caedence had grunted in half-hearted assent, leaving her own feelings for the Horde unspoken. She did not rejoice in the thought of allying herself with Forsaken, with their brittle frames, nor the hulking Tauren who seemed better suited at picking flowers than fighting on the battlefield. At a young age she had learned that depending on others was the easiest way to end up in an early grave.

Without warning Tia’kra’s dreadsteed came to a halt, and Caedence glanced back with expectation. The warlock said nothing, and watched her with a blank expression. Caedence turned, her violet eyes scanning her surroundings. The purple, blue, and green hues that dominated the landscape rendered the view hideous, and she could understand the Warchief’s desire to chop it all down. Her ears perked at the subtle sound of motion in the leafy undergrowth, and she thought she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

With a bestial roar Caedence launched herself in the direction of the sound, and found herself colliding with a Night Elf youth, successfully knocking him from his shadowmeld. The two bodies hit the ground, and Caedence used the momentum and the surprise to pin the rogue beneath her muscular body. Her fist made contact with his face, but her foe had regained some composure and managed to unsheathe one of the daggers that was at his hip. In a single fluid movement, the Night Elf slammed the hilt of his dagger directly into her stubby, short nose, causing a sickening crunch.

Caedence barely managed to avoid the next attack by rolling off her enemy. The Night Elf nimbly leapt to his feet, daggers in both hands now. His eyes flickered nervously to Titsukra, and that moment’s distraction was all she needed. Grabbing Pipgup by the scruff of his neck, Caedence hurled the unwilling imp at her adversary. The imp shrieked, clearly displeased with the unceremonious manner in which he was forced into battle, but proceeded to aid his mistress by casting firebolts at the youth.

The Night Elf rogue let out a yelp as one of the firebolts caught flame to the hem of his pants, and he did an awkward little one-legged hop while patting out the resulting fire. Caedence used this opportunity to tackle him again, her arms latched around his waist. The attack unbalanced him, and they both tumbled to the forest ground. The fall had caused the elf to drop his offhand dagger, and now left with only one weapon he made a rushed and desperate attempt to slash at her throat. It was a clumsy attack, Caedence easily caught the hand at the wrist and pinned it down. With her other hand balled into a fist she punched his face with all of her might. Roughly forcing the remaining dagger out of his clenched fist she tossed it aside, and found both of her hands clasping around the rogue’s neck.

His body bucked wildly beneath her, trying to throw her off, and with his superior reach he managed to punch her again and again in the face, while the other hand clawed desperately at her grip. The orc could taste blood filling her mouth, but the blows only made her more determined to strangle the life out of his filthy body. Each attack was weaker than the last, and she could feel the fingers at her hands losing their strength. Her violet eyes bore into the empty yellow glow of his own eyes as they grew duller and duller. Such hideous creatures, Night Elves. 

“Are you finished yet?” 

She glanced over her shoulder, the vicious smile on her lips fading as she realized Tia’kra was watching her with an expression of distaste.

“What’s the point of teaching you to harness your abilities if you’re going brawl like some backwater grunt?” 

With that comment the rush she felt from slaying her opponent had all but vanished. Caedence hoisted herself to her feet, and used her sleeve to wipe the blood that was still trickling rapidly from her nose. The action did little good, serving only to smear the warm blood across her face. “He was a coward,” She responded gruffly, “Stalking from the shadows, too cowardly to engage in combat. You said I could only grow stronger from life and death combat.”

“With a worthy adversary,” Tia’kra corrected coldly. She gestured to the corpse on the ground. “This fledgling rogue probably abandoned his training in Auberdine to seek coin from the more affluent targets profiting from the Warsong Lumber Camp. I imagine he only made it this far on his own through his ability to pass through these lands unseen. If he had not the misfortune of encountering us it was only a matter of time until the local beasts detected him and tore him to pieces."

Caedence spat on the rogue before her lips curled back into a mocking sneer. “If he was an unworthy opponent then why does it matter how I killed him? I wished to feel the life escape from his disgusting body, so I throttled him.”

Tia’kra let out an audible sigh. “You really haven’t learned any of the basics, have you?” 

Caedence’s eyes narrowed into a mutinous glare as she spat on the fallen corpse. “I have learned more than this Night Elf scum, clearly.” 

“You have talent, Thundercleave, enough that I sometimes forget your lack of formal training, but you cannot survive on talent alone.” Before Caedence could retort Tia’kra continued in a patient voice, “Death is an integral part of our discipline. No other class wields power over death quite like we do.” 

Tia’kra slid off the back of her dreadsteed, and Caedence felt her interest peaking. The young warlock’s bright blue eyes scanned the horizon, finally stopping on a buck that was grazing in the distance. With a lazy flick of her wrist, Tia’kra cast Death Coil upon the unfortunate beast. At once, the animal took off, overwhelmed by the sudden feeling of fear, but Tia’kra was far from finished. Corruption, Curse of Agony, and Siphon Life soon followed. 

The buck’s movements slowed, its eyes still wide with terror as the barrage of spells were wreaking havoc. Tia’kra extended an arm towards the beast, and a channel of purple light briefly connected the two. It did not take long for the buck’s body to collapse lifelessly to the ground.

Tia’kra tossed a gem to the older warlock. Caedence held the gem up to the light, and studied it with piqued curiosity. 

“We have the power to rip souls from the bodies of our enemies. Trust me, Thundercleave, there is no better way to feel the life leave your enemy’s body.”

**Author's Note:**

> Immortalizing some RP characters in fan fiction because I miss them!
> 
> Shout out to safirewitch on tumblr for editing this for me. Check her out for her literary prowess!


End file.
